King Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

King Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

You see above the statute or image and table depicted in Daniel chapter 2 of the Bible. They identify what metal is associated with what kingdom and the principal king of that empire.

The statute or image of a man made of gold and other metals and the picture in our minds of Daniel in the den of lions stand out in our memories from the book of Daniel in the Bible. We probably did not understand just what the statute was all about other than representing kingdoms of the world down through time. Although great kingdoms existed in all continents of the earth down through time, the Bible concerns itself chiefly with those great kingdoms that intertwined with Israel. When the rock, representing the coming of Jesus Christ, falls from heaven striking the statute at the feet, all the kingdoms of the world will disappear, not just those represented with the statute. Jesus will reign over the whole earth for 1000 years.

The Head.

How does one determine what kingdom and king goes with what metal? Daniel in chapter 2 while giving and interpreting the dream that king Nebuchnezzar had, said that he was the head of gold. Daniel said that the rest of the statute dealt with kingdoms after Nebuchnezzar’s.

The Arms and Chest.

Daniel said in chapter 5, verse 28 that the Babylonian kingdom would be “divided and given to the Medes and Persians.” The Persian king Cyrus, the Great, greatly expanded the kingdom. He’s also known in the Bible, the book of Nehemiah, for allowing the captives of Judah to return to Jerusalem and restore it.

The Belly and Thighs.

We know from Daniel chapter 8 that the Greeks (by Alexander, the Great, history tells us), conquered the Medes and Persians. After Alexander died quite young, the Greek kingdom plunged into chaotic wars among generals of Alexander and other rivals. Eventually four kingdoms established themselves, but two were significant. Egypt was governed by Ptolemy I and Syria was governed by Seleucus I.

The Legs.

We know from the gospel of Luke that Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem because of tax Caesar Augustus placed on the Roman world that included Israel, requiring all to be taxed in their own tribal areas. The Romans supplanted the Greeks as rulers, although Greek influence in language and culture was still very strong.

However, we know from history that the Romans exerted strong governmental control over its conquests. In some 200 years after a strong line of kings, Rome weakened and eventually divided into two parts: the western part was still governed by Rome and the eastern part by Constantinople (now Istanbul), named after the king Constantine. Constantinople continued after Rome fell some 1000 years until it was conquered by the Ottoman Turks.

The Feet and Toes

In areas where Rome existed kingdoms rose and fell but none exerted the power of the previous kingdoms, particularly Rome. Countries once weak became stronger and stronger ones became weak. I suppose the weakness in all these kingdoms was inability to expand their kingdoms and dominance as well cultural influence. The toes are ten kingdoms that are to come.